Longan Fruit

 Longan and Lychee

We’ve finally got around to planting out the summer bedding and small cells of vegetables this week. 

Sweet peas, sunflowers, pansies, geraniums and fuchsias have all gone into pots for a bit of summer colour and the broccoli, courgettes and kale have gone into their growing positions. We still have a few places to plant up but the old broccoli plants from last year are still both producing tiny florets and the yellow flowers are a magnet for the local bee population. I’ve promised the spent plants to a horse owner in a couple of weeks when the flowers have died down which will save me having to chop them up to fit into the compost bin.  

It was a great idea to plant out the peas, beans, coriander, lettuce and chives straight into the garden as they are all thriving and haven’t been kept in check or neglected by being in small potting cells.  We might have lost one or two seeds to the mice and plants to the slugs and snails but you would never notice unless you were counting stems.

Longan Fruit

Hands up who has heard of a fruit called ‘Longans’?  Up until this week my hand would be flailing in the air too.  

A pack of them caught my attention in the local supermarket and although they have travelled all the way from Vietnam and not grown locally, I thought I would buy a pack to see what they were like. You can put your hands down now.

The longan tree is actually one of the better-known tropical members of the soapberry family (Sapindaceae), to which the lychee also belongs which has been a popular dessert for years in restaurants. 

Longan fruits are similar in structure to lychee but more aromatic in taste. It is native to Southern Asia. The translation from Cantonese literally means "dragon eye" which is so named because it resembles an eyeball when its fruit is shelled (the black seed shows through the translucent flesh like a pupil/iris). I tried not to let the fact it feels like you would expect an eyball to feel put me off trying them. Dried longan fruit are often used in Chinese cuisine and Chinese sweet dessert soups. In Chinese food therapy and herbal medicine, it is believed to have an effect on relaxation.

They go back a long time, its earliest record of existence draws back to the Han Dynasty in 200 BC and are now grown all over the world but I doubt they will do well in Ireland because of both the weather and labour needed to pick the fruit.  During harvest, pickers must climb ladders to carefully remove branches of fruit. It has been found that longan fruit remain fresher when still attached to the branch, so efforts are made to prevent the fruit from detaching too early. Mechanical picking would damage the delicate skin so the preferred method is to harvest by hand. Knives and scissors are the most commonly used tools.

Apart from being eaten fresh and raw, longan fruit is also often used in Asian soups, snacks, desserts, and sweet-and-sour foods, either fresh or dried, and sometimes preserved and canned in syrup. 

Folk medicine

Longan is commonly found in traditional Eastern folk medicine as opposed to modern Western medicine. In ancient Vietnamese medicine, the "eye" of the longan seed is pressed against snakebites to absorb the venom; this method was ineffective but it is still commonly used today.

Saving the Seeds

I decided to plant up the large seeds along with a few lychee seeds I have. It’ll be interesting to see if they germinate and grow under protection in the tunnel. I thought well drained, sandy soil would be ideal to replicate their natural conditions. I don’t think there’s much else to do to get them growing other than keeping the post watered. 

Carn Show 2017

The 105th Inishowen Agricultural Show in Carndonagh is all set for the 15^th of July. The last date for all entrants is this Saturday 17^th June so if you haven’t filled in the entry forms for your category it’s time to get the pen out.  It’s a few years ago since our dog won the “Best Large Dog” category but we still have the rosette.  There are loads of categories to enter ranging from Horses, Cattle, Sheep, Goats, Donkeys, Dogs, Butter, Eggs, Honey, Fruit, Vegetables, Flowers, Pot Plants, Cake Making and Scones. Homes Industries Exhibition, Photography, Amateur Painting, Carriage Driving and many more. Something for everyone!